Bill Text: TX HB3690 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Relating to the Texas Crime Stoppers Council.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)

Status: (Passed) 2017-06-12 - Effective on 9/1/17 [HB3690 Detail]

Download: Texas-2017-HB3690-Introduced.html

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85R12816 SMT-F
By: Metcalf H.B. No. 3690

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the Texas Crime Stoppers Council.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 414.004, Government Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 414.004. DIRECTOR. The [council and the] executive
director of the criminal justice division of the governor's office
shall designate a person to serve as director. [The director must
be approved by the governor. The council shall define the
director's authority and responsibilities.]
SECTION 2. Section 414.006, Government Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 414.006. RULES. The council may adopt rules to carry
out its functions under this chapter. The rules adopted by the
council shall not conflict with rules [relating to grants] adopted
by the criminal justice division of the governor's office. The
council may not adopt a rule unless the executive director of the
criminal justice division of the governor's office determines that
the rule can be appropriately implemented.
SECTION 3. Section 414.008(a), Government Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(a) Except as otherwise provided by this section, evidence
of a communication between an anonymous [a] person submitting a
report of a criminal act to the council or a crime stoppers
organization and the person who accepted the report on behalf of the
council or organization is not admissible in a court or an
administrative proceeding.
SECTION 4. Section 414.010, Government Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (a) and (d) and adding Subsection (a-1) to
read as follows:
(a) Except as provided by Subsection (d), a crime stoppers
organization certified by the council to receive money in the form
of payments from defendants placed on community supervision under
Chapter 42A, Code of Criminal Procedure, or money in the form of
repayments of rewards under Articles 37.073 and 42.152, Code of
Criminal Procedure, may use money received under this chapter in a
calendar year as follows:
(1) not more than 20 percent of the money may be used
[annually received] to pay costs incurred in administering the
organization during that same calendar year; and
(2) [shall use] the remainder of the money, including
any interest earned on the money, shall be used only to reward
persons who report information concerning criminal activity.
(a-1) Not later than January 31 of each year, a crime
stoppers organization that receives or expends money under this
section shall file a detailed report in the form and manner
prescribed by [with] the council.
(d) If the amount of funds received by a crime stoppers
organization during a calendar year under this section exceeds
[three times] the total amount of [funds that the organization uses
to pay] rewards paid during [a fiscal year based on the average
amount of funds used to pay rewards during each of] the preceding
three calendar [fiscal] years, the organization may deposit the
excess amount of funds in a separate interest-bearing account to be
used by the organization for eligible [law enforcement] purposes as
defined by the council [relating to crime stoppers or juvenile
justice, including intervention, apprehension, and adjudication].
An organization that deposits excess funds in an account as
provided by this subsection may use any interest earned on the funds
to pay costs incurred in administering the organization.
SECTION 5. Section 414.012, Government Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 414.012. STATEWIDE CRIME REPORTING SYSTEMS [TOLL-FREE
TELEPHONE SERVICE]. The council shall establish a statewide [and
operate a toll-free] telephone service and other appropriate
systems to allow information about criminal acts to be reported to
the council and shall make the telephone service and other
reporting systems accessible at all times to persons residing in
areas of the state not served by a crime stoppers organization [for
reporting to the council information about criminal acts]. [The
toll-free service must be available between the hours of 5 p.m. and
8 a.m. Monday through Thursday and from 5 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m.
Monday.] The council shall forward the information received to
appropriate law enforcement agencies or crime stoppers
organization.
SECTION 6. Article 102.013(a), Code of Criminal Procedure,
is amended to read as follows:
(a) The legislature shall appropriate funds from the crime
stoppers assistance account to the Criminal Justice Division of the
Governor's Office. The Criminal Justice Division may use 10
percent of the funds for the operation of the statewide [toll-free]
telephone service or other appropriate systems for the reporting of
crime under Section 414.012, Government Code, and shall distribute
the remainder of the funds only to crime stoppers organizations.
The Criminal Justice Division may adopt a budget and rules to
implement the distribution of these funds.
SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.